College of Health

Te Kura Hauora Tangata

The College of Health, Te Kura Hauora Tangata, connects people across collaborative units with outstanding expertise and programmes in nursing, human nutrition and dietetics, physiology, public health, sport and exercise, social work, environmental and occupational health, and disability and rehabilitation.

We partner with New Zealand and international stakeholders to lead the improvement of health and wellbeing, and promote equity and social justice.

Study programmes

The College of Health offers an exciting, innovative environment for your studies. With a Massey qualification in health, you'll be in demand and enjoy a satisfying career improving people’s lives. Demand for healthcare workers is rising across the world and New Zealand isn’t producing enough graduates – 42% of our health workforce was trained overseas. Join our students and get ready to address and help solve the health issues of the 21st century.

Research expertise

College of Health staff focus on a wide array of interrelated health research themes. At the highly individual biomolecular level, we investigate how specific foods or nutrients improve the way energy is used in every cell of our body. At the other extreme, we are looking at the factors that affect community health and how social structures support our health.

Staff

Professor Jane Mills

Jane is considered one of Australia’s foremost primary health care academics with extensive experience leading and managing teams in both government and tertiary sectors. Her research portfolio focuses on rural and public health, health workforce, and health system strengthening.

Associate Professor Rachel Page

Rachel has over 25 years of experience in leadership, learning and teaching and research. Her current research focuses on preventing and improving health outcomes especially in areas of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Rachel has extensive experience in supervision of postgraduate students and loves making science relevant and accessible to students at all levels of academia.

Professor Annette Huntington

In 2012, Annette was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Queens’ Honours for services to nursing research. She is New Zealand Director of both the Nurses and Midwives e-Cohort Study, and the Graduate Nurses Study, in collaboration with Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Associate Professor Kieran O'Donoghue

In 2015, Kieran was awarded the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers Quality and Innovation Trophy for Excellence in Research and Certificate for Research Excellence. He has published nationally and internationally in the areas of social work theory and practice, social work supervision and in relation to the social work profession.

Associate Professor Andrew Foskett

As well as being the Major Leader for the Bachelor of Science (Exercise and Sports Science) on the Albany campus, Andrew is a keen practitioner and participated in the Beijing Olympics (2008) and three age-group FIFA World Cups (2009, 2011 and 2013) in his role as an applied sports scientist.

Awards and recognition

Professor Bill Glass from the Centre for Public Health Research has been named Metlifecare Senior New Zealander of the Year in the 2019 Kiwibank New Zealanders of the Year awards.
Professor Glass has, throughout his long and distinguished career, considerably advanced occupational medicine, workers’ health, and policy development in New Zealand, through original research, his work as an occupational physician, and his long involvement with WorkSafe.

Professor John Potter, from Massey University’s Centre for Public Health Research, has been named in the top one per cent of most cited scientists in the world. Professor Potter’s career has focused on nutrition, other environmental and host factors, and genetics in the aetiology (cause of disease or condition), pathobiology (the biology of disease), and early detection of cancers and other chronic diseases.

Massey University graduate Dushanka Hettige has been awarded the 2018 Bernice Kelly Award from Dietitians NZ for the most improved full-time dietetic student, from either Massey University, University of Otago or University of Auckland.

Dr Octavia Calder-Dawe from Massey University’s SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre, has been awarded nearly $250,000 from the Health Research Council of New Zealand to investigate what wellbeing means to New Zealand youth.

Dr Rosie Gibson from Massey’s Sleep/Wake Research Centre has been awarded nearly one-quarter of a million dollars by the Health Research Council of New Zealand to investigate sleep and its relationship to the health and wellbeing of older New Zealanders, highlighting both the personal, sociological, and economical impact of sleep problems.

Dr Kathryn Hay was awarded a Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching Award for 2018. This places her among the country’s top 10 tertiary teachers awarded. Awards are presented to those who demonstrate years of commitment and support for learners that go far beyond good teaching practice.

Professor Andy Martin was awarded a Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching Award for 2018. This places him among the country’s top 10 tertiary teachers awarded. Awards are presented to those who demonstrate years of commitment and support for learners that go far beyond good teaching practice.

Dr Dennis Slade has been given the extremely rare and prestigious endorsement of his research in physical education and sport, through a special supplement publication of his research. This is the first time in the 65-year history of the New Zealand Physical Educator journal that a special supplement has been published, with all the articles written by the same first author.

Associate Professor Chris Wilkins has been awarded $836,000 to lead a research project titled 'Dark side of the Net: Exploring and modelling the impact of online illegal drug markets', alongside Dr Monica Barratt, University of New South Wales, Professor Jochen Mueller, University of Queensland and Dr Marta Rychert, SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre. The team will analyse the way illegal drugs are sold online, using encrypted websites on the ‘darknet’.

Dr Octavia Calder-Dawe from the SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre was awarded a Marsden fast-start grant worth $300,000 for her research project titled 'Relentlessly positive? Exploring the imprint of positivity imperatives on the affective lives of young women.'

The second edition of Pharmacology in Nursing: Australian and New Zealand won the Tertiary (Adaptations): Student Resource Category at the Educational Publishing Awards Australia. Head of the School of Health Sciences, Associate Professor Rachel Page wrote 17 chapters.

Associate Professor David Rowlands from the School of Sport and Exercise was honoured as the winner of the 2017 Gatorade Sport Science Institute (GSSI) - American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Sport Nutrition Award for his study entitled, _Multiple-Transportable Carbohydrate Effect on Long-Distance Triathlon Performance_.

The prestigious Dietitians NZ Award of Excellence has been awarded to Dr Carol Wham from Massey University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Dietetics.

Professor Sally Casswell, Co-Director of the SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre in Auckland, has been awarded a project grant of $1,188,701 over 36 months by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. Her project is entitled _Assessing and comparing national policy to reduce harmful use of alcohol_.

Professor Jeroen Douwes, Director of Wellington’s Centre for Public Health Research, has been awarded nearly $5 million by the Health Research Council of New Zealand to investigate work-related disease.

Dr Collette Bromhead was appointed chief executive of the New Zealand Organisation of Rare Diseases (NZORD). The health advocacy organisation represents the interests of New Zealanders affected by rare disorders by promoting research and partnering with clinicians to improve diagnostics, treatments and support.

Professor Mark Henrickson is a staunch advocate for the rights of sexual and gender minorities. He was the first New Zealand social worker from New Zealand to deliver the prestigious Eileen Younghusband Memorial Lecture at the 2016 World Social Work Conference in Korea.

Professor Mark Henrickson - 2016Eileen Younghusband Memorial Lecture

Associate Professor Kieran O’Donoghue was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for research by Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). As well as receiving this Quality and Innovation Award, he shared the overall ANZASW trophy.

Strategic vision

Vision

In line with the philosophy of Hauora, our strategic approach to learning, teaching and research is to view optimal health and wellbeing as the outcome of multiple factors encompassing individual differences, diversity, social determinants and environmental interactions.

It is important to us to be recognised nationally and internationally for the quality and integrity of our research, the capability of our graduates and our service to others. We develop and promulgate solutions for large and complex problems that affect the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and whänau with the aim of building a brighter world.

Mission

The College of Health makes a difference in the areas of:

accessible health education

applied social research

health system strengthening including workforce development

public health and health policy

applied inter-disciplinary practice

sleep, sport and exercise, and nutrition

understand the environmental, biological and social mechanisms of health and disease.

Goals

Be a Treaty of Waitangi led College of Health – Te Kura Hauora Tangata.

Value, recognise and reward professional and academic staff, and promote staff development and wellbeing.

Be the preferred partner for education and research in our areas of expertise.

Align and optimise organisational processes to achieve best practice.

Generate new revenue and increase efficiency so we can invest in our strengths.

Donate to the College of Health

We welcome your support in raising money to enable excellence in scholarship, teaching and research in the College of Health.

Accreditation and rankings

New Zealand Performance-Based Research Fund Rankings

According to the NZ PBRF Rankings 2018, our subject areas of research excellence relative to other New Zealand universities are:

* nursing

* other health studies

* sport and exercise science.

Shanghai Ranking - sport science schools

The School of Sport, Exercise and

Nutrition is ranked in the top 150 Sport Science Schools and Departments worldwide. The ranking is determined by criteria such as research output, research quality and international collaboration.

Shanghai Ranking - public health

Massey University is ranked in the top 200 universities in the world in the subject area of public health by the Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. The ranking is determined by a series of indicators such as the number of papers authored by an institution in an academic subject, international collaboration on papers, and the number of staff winning awards in an academic subject.

New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board

Our professional programmes are accredited by the [New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board](http://swrb.govt.nz/). Students who complete the Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Applied Social Work can immediately apply for provisional registration as a registered social worker.

* [Bachelor of Social Work](http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/programme-course/programme.cfm?prog_id=92512)

* [Master of Applied Social Work](http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/programme-course/programme.cfm?prog_id=93485)

Nursing Council of New Zealand

Our nursing programmes are nationally and internationally recognised and approved by the [Nursing Council of New Zealand](http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/). Students who have completed Massey’s Bachelor of Nursing, can apply for registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (UK)

IOSH (UK) is the largest OSH practitioner professional association outside the United States. Our Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety is the only NZ tertiary qualification accredited by IOSH (UK). Students who complete this qualification will meet the academic requirement for Graduate Membership to IOSH(UK). Membership then leads to registration as an OHS practitioner.

Research Centre for Māori Health and Development | Te Pūmanawa Hauora

SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre

The SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre is funded through external research grants and contracts to undertake public-good research of relevance to the health and social sectors. The centre consists of two multidisciplinary research groups working in a Treaty of Waitangi partnership model to produce excellent research with the aim of improving health and wellbeing in Aotearoa, New Zealand and globally.

Sleep/Wake Research Centre

The Sleep/Wake Research Centre is New Zealand’s first laboratory dedicated to research and education in circadian physiology, sleep science, and their applications. We are motivated to find science-based solutions to the challenges created by the restricted sleep and circadian disruption that are endemic in our 24/7 society.

Scholarships and awards

Massey University offers a range of awards, grants and scholarships to assist students with fees and living expenses, and to support academic and research excellence.

Persistent airflow limitation and the airway microbiome in childhood asthma

A PhD scholarship for someone who wants to undertake research within the Centre for Public Health Research. Your research project, funded by the Health Research Council, will assess the role of the airway microbiome and inflammation in persistent airflow limitation in childhood asthma.

Antibiotics in the first years of life: a risk factor for chronic childhood conditions?

A PhD scholarship for someone who wants to undertake research within the Centre for Public Health Research. Your research project will test the hypothesis that ‘the use of antibiotics in early life increases the risk of three common chronic childhood conditions: type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)’.